"Earlier today, Samsung revealed that it won't update the Galaxy S, its most successful smartphone to date, to the latest version of Android. You might shrug and dismiss that as just more evidence of Android's inherent fragmentation or the need for buyers to beware, but I take grave issue with it. This is a decision based not on technical constraints, as Samsung would have you believe, but on hubris." This. A gazillion million thousand times this. Also: "It's simple: make a large high-end device, a smaller value device, and a QWERTY device. Maybe one or two other specialty form factors, tops. That's it. Update them once a year, and keep the names the same." It would make updating a hell of a lot easier. We don't need the Samsung Galaxy SII Epic 4G Touch Sensation.

When Android devices first started hitting the mainstream, I vowed never to purchase any model accept the "pure" Nexus phones. These are the only ones, as far as I can tell, with unadulterated versions of Android (which by the way is all anyone needs.) The rest of them are loaded to the gills with bloatware and custom skins. Why? It's a matter of control on the part of the carriers. It's clear to me why the carriers are reluctant to update their phones. Why update an older phone when you can get a gullible consumer to buy a shiny new phone? This is really the fault of consumers who are only too willing to exclaim "No update? Oh, okey dokey, show me a model with the latest version..." Then they whip out a credit card and goodbye old phone, hello new model.

As the proud owner of a now abandoned HTC Nexus One, I have always anticipated and expected the very latest and greatest version of Android for my device. I have been receiving the latest versions of Android OTA within weeks (usually) of their release by Google. Sadly, this time, Google has decided that my Nexus One isn't quite capable of running ICS. This in spite of numerous videos exhibiting early builds of ICS running just fine on the N1. So, for the very first time, I am anxiously awaiting the release of CyanogenMod 9 which will be based on Android 4 ICS and will happily bring the latest Android to anyone willing to spend a few moments rooting their device. I intend to hang onto my beloved Nexus One and enjoy Android 4 ICS in full rooted glory. It's my device and I'll decide if it's capable of running Android 4.0 or not.

This. I can sum up the Android phone buying advice like this: Either get the one that says 'Nexus' on it, or buy an iPhone, or Windows phone. Now, that wasn't so complicated, was it?

Most Windows phones will hit the same problem. Unless microsoft will:
1) Have a small number of conponents suported, so that they will provide the OTA update with all drivers
or:
2) Drivers will be forward compatible, so a new Windows version will not influence OEMs.

"When Android devices first started hitting the mainstream, I vowed never to purchase any model accept the "pure" Nexus phones.

This. I can sum up the Android phone buying advice like this: Either get the one that says 'Nexus' on it, or buy an iPhone, or Windows phone. Now, that wasn't so complicated, was it? "
What if I want a phone with a hardware keyboard? I'm telling you, if Apple comes with an iSlide (phone with a sliding QWERTY), Android would be dead for all I care. Android is destined to become the featurephone-replacement OS, the one for users who don't care about software updates.

Really, that's way too simplistic (even fallacious and misrepresenting what the mobile market is), they aren't anywhere near the optimal choice for many. "Superiority" of Nexus has a hefty price tag (iOS or Win devices, similarly) - for vast majority of people it's most likely better to get ~3x less expensive handset and replace it maybe only slightly sooner than a Nexus would dictate (anyway, I suspect that an average Nexus owner is among the "often upgrading" half)